The Bet
by Kat1132
Summary: AU Eric is dared to get the newest CSI not only in his bed, but to fall in love with him as well. But how will Ryan react? And what will happen when an escaped convict from NYC brings Messer and Flack? Crossover in Chapter 2. Ryan is the MC. Alive!Speed
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Bet

**Author:** Kat1132

**Beta's:** I lost them. I'm going to go look for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own either CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, or any of its characters. This story is not intended to infringe on any copyrights by the makers of CSI and it's owners. No profit is being made for this piece of fiction.

**Summary:** AU Eric is dared to get the newest CSI not only in his bed, but to fall in love with him as well. But how will Ryan react? And what will happen when an escaped convict from NYC brings Messer and Flack? Crossover in Chapter 2. Ryan is the MC. Alive!Speed

**Warnings:** SLASH. Very AU. Speed is alive (and it will be explained). Danny Messer and Don Flack are coming in the second chapter along with a criminal that we all love to hate. This does not follow any sort of episode timeline or cannon, but I tried to stay at least somewhat true to the strange and obscure cases that land in the CSI's lap.

**AN: **Yes, it's back. Thank you all for being patient with me. I'm finally getting a real break to get back into the swing of writing. If anyone sees any mistakes or needs some clairification, I'd be happy to clear them up.

* * *

Chapter One

It started out so easily. Natalia had some how found out that Ryan Wolfe way gay. She had known for months about Eric Delko's attraction to his colleague. All it had needed was a good push in the right direction. Thus, the bet was formed.

She bet Eric one hundred dollars that he couldn't get Ryan Wolfe not only in bed, but to love him as well.

Eric had agreed with a smug smirk. Never had she imagined something so simple could go so wrong.

-

Ryan Wolfe ran a hand through his brown hair. He was on his third straight shift and working his way to his fourth.

There was no chance of being able to go home and get a few hours of sleep. He would undoubtedly have a new case to work on, despite having just finished logging evidence from his last.

Ryan closed his green eyes. There was no way he could miss work. He could not be seen as any more of a liability than he already was.

He was still working on shedding the resentment he had cultivated by unknowingly stepping on the crime labs collective toes. It wasn't as though he had tried to be Tim Speedle's replacement; someone who would never measure up. Replacing Speed was a position he not only didn't want, but one he didn't deserve.

Ryan had made a mistake by arriving at the crime lab at the time he had. But that was how it had to be done. The moment an opening occurs, it has to be filled. There is no way for the crime lab to remain understaffed. They had to fill the position, and if it hadn't been him then it would have been someone else.

He had been thinking about switching from Patrol to CSI for a while. He had even gone to a few seminars. In fact it was when he was at those seminars that he had met his mentor. It wasn't long before they had become close friends. It was always a topic of their discussion, Ryan making the switch and joining the Miami Dade CSI day shift. Ryan had promised.

At the time of Speedle's death, he had seen a chance to fulfill not only his dream but his promise as well. There was only one drawback.

The people who he had heard such good things about while on patrol, no longer existed.

Gone was the motherly Medical Examiner, the southern-belle gunslinger and the sarcastic yet brotherly Cuban. Left in their place were bitter, wounded, people he had offended by doing the most heinous act: trying to replace their fallen comrade. Most days, it felt as though he'd shot Speedle himself.

Ryan's eyes snapped open. Glancing at his watch, he stood up so quickly, his chair fell to the ground. Righting it quickly, he exited the lab unit and headed towards the break room. Perhaps some coffee would wake him up.

-

Ryan wondered into the break room after having paused in the bathroom to shave and brush his teeth.

The sudden hush should have made him nervous, but he was honestly too tired to care.

He barely noticed Eric as he pulled out his mug and filled it with the sludge masquerading as coffee. A hand fell on his shoulder; he jumped in surprise. Seeing as Horatio wasn't in the room (he usually spoke to Ryan before touching him anyway,) none of his colleagues had ever voluntarily touched him before.

Startled green met amused brown for just a second before the sting of his spilt coffee registered to his brain.

Cursing Ryan set down his mug and moved towards the sink. His quick movements dislodged Eric's hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Ryan raised his eyebrow in shock. Since when had Eric ever apologized to him for anything? Why wasn't Eric making fun of him?

"Hey, I was meaning to ask, do you wanna go out after work on Friday? Maybe grab a bite to eat?"

Ryan didn't know why Eric was suddenly asking him out after work. He was not foolish enough, even in his exhausted state, to think that Eric was asking him out on a date. (He had it on good authority that Eric was straight as a needle.) What he couldn't understand was if Eric was offering a hand of friendship, why now? Yesterday, Eric had been yelling at him for doing a procedure incorrectly then left in a huff. What brought on this sudden change?

Had his mind been well rested, he would have asked for a delay until Saturday; he didn't think he'd be able to do anything but work until then. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep more than four hours between now and then. And yet, this was the chance for acceptance he'd been craving. Who knew if there would be another one?

Ryan agreed.

Eric, excited, left the room and a bewildered Ryan to tend to his hand. He'd win this bet for sure. It would be the ultimate revenge.

-

Ryan sat alone at the bar Eric insisted they meet at. He'd been here over an hour. After twenty minutes, he'd promised himself he'd only wait five more minutes.

He hadn't gotten enough sleep for so long. He'd rarely gone home for longer than five hours. Ryan didn't really want to be here right now. He would rather be sleeping and just thinking about his plush bed and luxurious comforter was making him salivate.

He was afraid to leave should Eric show up after he left. He didn't want his chance of acceptance to slip by without giving it some time. It wasn't as if he'd had any plans with friends from patrol or anything.

Most of his old friends on patrol viewed his switch to CSI as betrayal. Patrol and CSI's sometimes bumped heads on cases, especially when an officer was involved. He had burned more than a few bridges trying to support his new teammates and he was starting to regret doing so.

He didn't know why he was staying. The Cuban said that he wanted to go out and eat but in the office he had made no changes to how he was treating Ryan. There was so little trust between them. He could almost say Eric hated him. But if that was so then why would Eric ask him out for dinner?

A while later Ryan looked at his watch and decided to call it quits. An hour and a half was long enough to wait for someone, and obviously Eric wasn't coming. Ryan paid his tab and headed home.

-

Eric smiled at his friends. Tomorrow was Calleigh's birthday but he and a few others from the crime lab, including Horatio had taken her out for beers.

Three hours later he stumbled into his apartment. He vaguely felt like he had forgotten something, but shrugged it off before getting in the shower to wash the sweat and smoke from his hair.

Good God, he hated how the sweat and grime clung to him. Eric closed his eyes in bliss. Just behind his eye lids a tired face with startling green eyes stared back at him. Eric's eyes snapped open in alarm. He had forgotten his date with Ryan.

"Damn." Eric beat the tile with his fist. He hurried through his shower, changed and tried to make himself presentable. He jumped in his car and headed towards the bar, making record time as he pulled up twenty minutes later.

The bar was closing down for the night. Ryan was nowhere to be seen. Glancing down at his watch, he looked again horrified. He was four hours late to a date he had asked Ryan to.

What a great first impression.

He wondered how long Ryan had waited. He acknowledged that had he been in Ryan's position, and someone had asked him on a date only to not show up within ten minutes he'd have left too. Not to mention how he'd been treating the rookie recently.

Eric kicked a stray bottle. So much for the bet. Ryan wouldn't want anything to do with him now.

'What will I tell Ryan?' Eric thought as he stared up at the stars. It wasn't as though he could tell the younger CSI that he'd chosen a party that Ryan wasn't invited to over the rookie? That he hadn't even remembered him until it was four hours too late? Both would be true, but to admit it to Ryan would cost him more of his pride than he was willing to part with.

Eric got back in his car and headed home. Gods he'd screwed up.

-

Eric couldn't sleep. He kept seeing how exhausted Ryan had looked when he'd asked him out.

How long had Ryan been working? The younger man had said he'd pull a double, but he was still at work earlier than Eric the next day.

He realized it was probably not a good idea to ask Ryan out on Friday, but the though of winning the bet had pushed him forward.

Ryan had been so startled when Eric touched him, it had caused him to wonder. Once he thought about it, he couldn't remember having touched Ryan before. Not even a friendly pat on the back.

In fact, other than Horatio, not only did no one else touch the newbie, no one was willing to help Ryan, explain thing and procedures. There was no one Ryan could go to for minor things.

Eric analyzed his last thought with contempt. Why should he care whether or not Ryan had someone to go to? He thought he was good enough to take Speed's place.

A small part of his brain pointed out that Ryan was just a rookie and deserved a chance to prove himself before Eric wrote him off completely. Eric told it to shut up before he rolled over and fell asleep.

-

The next morning, Eric looked for Ryan. He needed to apologize. Ryan wasn't exactly avoiding Eric so much as Eric was so busy.

Horatio had him working a double homicide with Calliegh. Ryan was working a B and E on the other side of town. It wasn't until shift was almost over that Eric caught sight of the man. "Ryan!"

Ryan turned to answer Eric, customary false smile firmly in place. "Oh, hey Eric, did you need something?"

Eric raised an eyebrow, wasn't it obvious? "I wanted to apologize. I asked you out then ditched you. I'm sorry."

Ryan shrugged and then said without thinking. "Are you really sorry, or just trying to save what little working relationship we have? No," he cut Eric off before he could answer. Surely he wasn't so tired that his mouth wasn't responding to his brain. "I don't want to know. You're forgiven."

Eric didn't think Ryan would really just let it slide. With a smile he turned to process that bloody footprint he found on his perimeter walk.

"Hey, Eric?" Eric turned back to Ryan, "Will you see Calliegh before shift's over?"

"Probably why?"

Ryan shoved two gifts into Eric's startled hands. "One's from me, one the receptionist said was dropped off for her. Thanks!" Ryan turned and walked back to the lab.

Eric called out before Ryan could disappear again. "Hey, you wanna try dinner again?"

"Not tonight, I've gotta do something with a friend, but are you free tomorrow?

Eric nodded and turned back to his work with a smile. At least he wasn't shot down. Maybe there was still a chance he could win that bet.

-

Ryan waited in the club for his friend to arrive. It had been a long day. He had thought it would never end.

Ryan was about to break. There was so much going on with work and Delko especially. He was almost ashamed how long he waited for Delko to show up. He couldn't believe he hadn't said no to Delko's second offer. After all wouldn't Delko be happier if Ryan just disappeared and didn't bother him anymore? Something wasn't adding up.

"Hey, Ryan."

Ryan turned to meet his friend. It had been a while since he had last seen Timothy Speedle. Speed had needed to go deep undercover in D.C. since his supposed death. It was a cover so that no one would put together this new guy in the D.C. underground was the dead CSI from Miami.

Ryan was the only one Speed had contacted. He had pushed Ryan into his job as a criminalist. They met a few years ago when Ryan moved to New York. They went to the same high school.

At first they didn't really get along, until they had chemistry together.

Some of the other jocks had been throwing things at him and messing with his experiments. For some odd reason the guy who hated him, and from what he could tell just about everyone else, had come to his rescue. He had made sure that the jocks knew not to try that again.

It hadn't been easy for Ryan to open up to Speed, but the older boy had been persistent. Ryan had been vulnerable since his parents died, and he wasn't quite ready to come out of his shell. Soon they were inseparable. When Ryan moved out to Miami to live with his uncle, Speed swore to follow.

They met up again on the force a few years ago when Ryan and Speed had been stuck together on a crime scene. Both of them had been stuck with working alone on this shift as PD and CSI had been swamped with calls. It was the height of the tourist season and crime was plentiful. The two had just started talking and had managed to hit it off again. Soon they were meeting after work to go to dinner as friends. Speed had pulled out Ryan's reluctant secret of wanting to be a CSI. Speed had been thrilled and had immediately started teaching Ryan about what the job was like.

Speed had been so excited to work with Ryan and get him to meet his colleagues. He was sure he had seen Eric staring at the young patrol officer at another crime scene they had managed to work together. Speed had promptly decided to tease Ryan about it to no end.

Ryan blushed and denied having noticed. Speed believed him based on the fact that Ryan was largely unaware of exactly how attractive he was.

Ryan jumped up and gave the man a hug. It had been so long since he had seen Speed last. When Speed was around, Ryan hadn't realized how often he talked to the man and told him his problems before he left. It was incredibly hard not to be able to talk to Speed especially with everything that had been going on in the lab. Eric's strange behavior was first and foremost on his mind.

"So how are things at the lab?" Ryan bit his lip, a gesture Speed immediately recognized as Ryan displaying his nervousness. It made him worried. "What happened?"

Ryan thought about it. These were Speed's old friends and colleagues. Speed certainly had stronger ties with them than he did with Ryan. "Things have been normal lately."

"I know you're hiding something from me." Ryan looked away, moments from breaking down. "What is it? It can't be so bad. I mean they have accepted you right? Everyone's getting along." Ryan's averted eyes told Speed more than anything he could have possibly said.

"They haven't accepted you yet? What happened? I thought they would love you."

"Yeah, well they don't. They hate me. They see me as your replacement and nothing else." Speed was speechless, that didn't sound like the people he knew, but before he could say anything, Ryan continued, "Speed, I don't think I can do this much longer. I don't think they'll ever see me as anything but a screw up. They want me to be you. I just can't be you Speed. I don't want to be you."

Speed resisted the urge to tuck Ryan under his arm. Seeing his friend so vulnerable made his heart hurt.

Ryan began to tell Speed everything he had gone through, from Alexx and her less than cordial greeting and her not needing anymore friends. Calleigh giving him just enough rope to hang himself and then screaming at him. Delko all but calling him out on a number of occasions. Almost being fired. Still not having a functional locker. Delko ditching calls that went straight to him. Horatio tried to help him, but he was only around so much, and the man insisted on calling him Mr. Wolfe.

Once he started he couldn't seem to stop. Everything that had bothered him about the lab was flowing from his mouth. Speed listened to it all, his frown steadily getting deeper. He had trusted his colleagues at the lab to take care of Ryan and instead they had excluded him to the point of a mental break down.

Ryan was already more susceptible to these types of things than most people because of his OCD. Taking the step out of his comfort realm to become a CSI had been one of the hardest decisions Ryan had ever made. Speed had to keep after him for almost a year before Ryan relented to let Speed introduce him to Horatio and apply for the job.

"Ryan, don't worry. I'll take care of everything."

"No," Ryan took a deep breath; he needed to be calm so Speed wouldn't go tearing off after the people in the lab. He didn't want Speed to jeopardize the friendships he had there. Really, the only reason they were so mean to Ryan was out of respect for Speed. "I want to make a place for myself with the team on my own."

Speed was getting irritated. "You already tried that Ryan. If it hasn't worked by now then it's not going to."

Ryan interrupted before Speed got going. He knew Speed well enough to know when he started he wouldn't stop until the people he though had hurt Ryan knew how upset he got when Ryan was hurt, intentionally or otherwise.

"I don't want them to accept me because I'm your friend. I want them to accept me because I'm good at what I do. I don't want to be known as Speed's friend who took advantage. I just want to be Ryan Wolfe, a good CSI."

Speed sat back and looked at Ryan. "So what do you want me to do?"

Ryan looked at Speed not sure what he meant.

"The investigation's over. I'm free to go back to my old life now that the defendant was executed on death row last week. The whole operation has been completely shut down with no hope of ever reopening. I'm free to go back to being a CSI.

"What I'm asking is," Speed paused not sure how to phrase his question. Seeing Ryan's set face he put all his cards in the direct approach, "do you want me back at the lab?"

"Are you kidding?" Ryan asked with a wide grin enhancing his already handsome features. "Of course I want to work with you!"

Speed knew better than to ask if Ryan wanted to hide his friendship with him.

Ryan was grateful for his friend's unspoken understanding. Speed was one of his only friends. It had nearly killed him when he'd heard of Speed's passing. Speed had known that Ryan was nearly alone in the world save his uncle. It was one of the reasons he'd let the patrol cop know he was alive rather than his old colleagues.

"So," said Speed in an effort to change the subject, "what did Calleigh think of her gift?"

Ryan laughed.

-

Speed and Ryan were saying their goodbyes.

"It shouldn't take longer than a week for me to get settled in. I'll see you soon though. Hey, you wanna meet up tomorrow? My treat?" Speed added to sweeten the deal.

Ryan smiled, but ducked his head to hide his blush. "I can't. I have a date."

Speed's eyebrows shot up, a sly smile stretching across his face. "Really, what's his name?" Speed knew full well which way Ryan's preferences swung. He had accepted it years ago when Ryan had confided in him about his crush on Eric.

Ryan blushed harder. "Delko."

Speed's eyes widened. "Ryan, babe, are you sure? He's gotta be the biggest player you know."

Ryan got defensive. "I don't think it's in his character to use people like you're suggesting."

"Don't get me wrong, Ryan. Eric's a great guy, but you don't know him like I do. And even you've seen him bounce from girl to girl." The look in Ryan's eyes reminded Speed sharply that Ryan was very aware of Delko's activities, and it hurt him every time it was shoved under his nose.

"I know, alright. But even if he is using me, I'd rather him see me once, then never. You know how much he means to me." Speed still looked skeptical. "I need this, Speed, at the very least to get him out of my system. I would be a fool to think that he actually cares about me." Ryan looked so sad just then that it broke Speed's heart.

Speed's eyes softened. "Yeah, I know. But hey," Speed tilted Ryan's chin up from its defeated position, and forced the younger man to look him in the eyes, "You are worth caring for. If he can't see that, he's a fool. Besides," Speed's serious expression melted into a smirk, "if he hurts you, I get to kill him."

Ryan sighed but he knew that was all he'd get out of Speed as far as Eric was concerned. "I gotta go. Unlike you, some of us actually have to work tomorrow, lazy bum," said Ryan with a playful shove.

Speed's smile was smug, but he gave Ryan a one armed hug before they went their own ways.

-

"Hey, Wolfe," Ryan nearly jumped. Calleigh was right behind him. He'd never even heard her enter the lab. "You gotta minute?" the blonde asked.

Ryan looked down at the clothes he was processing for blood evidence and trace fibers. If there was anything to find, it wasn't going anywhere. "Yeah, sure," Ryan turned to face his woman colleague.

"How'd you know I wanted those tickets?"

"I heard you and Eric talking about a car, and you always seem to get car detail when we need to find a make and model. You seemed really into it, and a guy I know works at the expo-center. He owed me a favor."

"Well, thank you."

Ryan blinked that was the very first positive thing Calleigh had ever said to him. It was amazing how the blonde's smile transformed her entire face. She was radiant when she smiled. Finally, she looked like the person Speed had always described her as, the person Ryan had always wanted to know.

As if she had heard his thoughts, and was disturbed by them, the glorious smile fell and she turned around, leaving the lab without another word. "You're welcome," said Ryan to the empty room.

-

He had just finished processing the clothes when he saw Horatio walking by with Calleigh and Eric. Seeing as Horatio was the lead and Eric was his partner on his case he went out to intercept them.

Ryan tried to be polite and wait for a lull in the conversation, but it abruptly ceased when he got into hearing range. He would have liked to say that this sort of behavior was odd, but sadly, it was all too common.

"Hey, Ryan," said Eric.

Now that was odd.

"What can I do for you Mr. Wolfe?"

"Hey," Ryan shook off the odd new behavior of Eric's. Maybe Eric was trying to include him? "I found blood under the collar of the shirt as well as a foreign substance in the cufflinks. I sent a sample of the blood to Valera, and the substance to the trace lab.

Horatio nodded, accepting the information. Ryan turned to go back to the lab to reseal the evidence. His eye caught the time. Shift was almost over. He tuned back to Eric to ask where they would meet, but decided against it. Right now he needed to go reseal the evidence.

Fifteen minutes later he was in the locker room fighting with his broken locker. Finally he lost his patience and pounded on the metal door. It popped open. Ryan let out a sigh of relief and grabbed his keys and wallet.

He was about to walk out when Eric walked in.

"Hey."

"Hey," Ryan answered.

"So, I'll pick up you up at seven, and dress nice. I got us into that new club in South Beach."

"_Essence_?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Do you know where I live?"

Eric paused. Actually, he had no idea where Ryan Wolfe called home. Ryan sighed and dug into his wallet for the receipt he got when he paid for lunch. He memorized the sum for his books, and quickly wrote the number on his palm with a pen he'd had in his jacket pocket, just incase he forgot the number later.

He drew a rough estimation of the way to his house and wrote down his apartment number before handing the tiny paper to Eric. He smiled at the man. It was strained, and one of his customary false ones he was so used to that they were almost interchangeable with his real smiles. He really only smiled with Speed anymore.

Ryan shoved his thoughts aside and said a quick goodbye. He made his way out of the building without being stopped once and got into his car. With a sigh he started the machine and headed home. It would certainly be an interesting night.

-

Eric stared at the paper marveling at the guy's handwriting. It was so elegant, and so unexpected. He would have never guessed that Wolfe's handwriting would be so girly.

He slipped the paper into his pocket before heading to his own locker. He didn't seem to want to admit, even to himself, that he had watched Ryan's well proportioned ass as the younger man had walked out of the room. Boy would he ever be glad when this was over.

-

Eric stood outside what he assumed was Wolfe's apartment. Based on Wolfe's directions, he was in the right place. He sighed, well, this would be over soon right? He rang the bell and waited.

Soft footsteps approached the door. Eric took a deep breath. What he saw on the other side of the door stole that breath from his chest.

Ryan stood in a black wife beater, revealing muscles Eric wouldn't have believed possible for the lithe man to pull off, much less hide so thoroughly under his clothes. Ryan's jeans were a dark navy and looked painted on. His feet were bare.

Eric wouldn't have picked Ryan as the type to wear jewelry, but the silver chain adorning his neck suited him. Ryan's hair was just slightly mussed. The younger man looked adorable.

Ryan blushed under the heavy scrutiny. "You're here early," he observed. Eric shrugged, and Ryan couldn't help but stare. Eric was certainly was a looker in his midnight blue dress shirt and dark dress pants.

Ryan tried to swallow his blush and invited Eric in while he finished getting ready. He went into his room to grab his over shirt. Speed had complimented him the first time he wore this shirt. Supposedly it enhanced his eyes. Ryan wasn't so sure about that, but he thought Speed was a good fashion judge, as long as he wasn't judging his own fashion that is. Ryan grabbed his wallet and his shoes before slipping the first into his back pocket.

As he exited his room shoes in hand, he paused in the door way and leaned on the door jam, watching the Latino walk around his apartment inspecting everything. It was obvious just from the way the man walked that he was used to seeing things that weren't there, or that someone was trying to hide.

Ryan was almost ashamed that he didn't have any pictures of Speed anywhere in his apartment. When Speed went undercover, he had packed all of the pictures with Speed in them, and put them into storage. He had never been particularly proud of that fact, but at this moment he was glad Eric couldn't find any of those photos as incriminating evidence and an excuse to ask uncomfortable questions.

Eric was astounded. Everything was tasteful, and yet perfect. Absolutely everything was placed just so. Magazines to pillows, it was all evenly spaced. Even the carpet looked like it had been steamed recently. It was almost unbearably clean.

"So," Eric jumped as though he had been caught doing something naughty. Ryan smiled at Eric's embarrassment, setting his shoes down by the couch he headed into the kitchen to get his house keys and heat up something to eat. "Did you eat anything?"

It took Eric a moment to comprehend what Ryan was asking. He hadn't ever realized quite how bright Ryan's eyes were. "Actually, I was going to take you out to eat before we hit the club."

"Oh," Ryan paused, mid reach for a measuring cup and lowered himself back down to the balls of his feet.

Eric looked over at Ryan in time to see the flash of white skin disappear beneath folds of cloth as Ryan returned to his natural height from his toes.

"I could cook something, if you want?"

Eric thought about it, "I really don't have a problem with eating here, but if we did, then it wouldn't be like a real date."

Eric stared at Ryan; he was sure that Ryan's eyes lit up when he said that. Ryan coughed and turned his head to hide his blush. Eric smiled.

"Are you ready to go?" Eric asked.

"Uh, let me get my shoes on," Ryan moved to the couch and sat down, pulling on first his left boot, meticulously tying it, before tying the right in the same brusque manner.

Eric couldn't help but stare at Ryan's back as it moved and contorted when he reached to tie his other shoe. He ended up getting so absorbed that he hadn't realized that Ryan was staring right back at him.

"Ready?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah." Eric walked to the door and opened it, holding it open while he ushered the brown headed boy by before stepping aside so Ryan could lock the door.

Eric was already at the car door holding it open. Ryan slid into the passenger seat and looked around. While the car wasn't anywhere near as clean as his own car, he could tell that Eric had cleaned up for him. It was sweet.

Eric got into the drivers seat and started the engine into a quiet purr. "What kind of music do you listen to?"

"I don't really have a preference," said Ryan with a shrug.

Eric raised an eyebrow, but turned up the radio anyway. The soft tones the young woman's voice floated through the speakers. "Still, what's your favorite type of music," when Ryan looked puzzled he tried to get his answer another way, "who's your favorite band? Come on, Wolfe, I'm trying to start a conversation, to get to know you."

"If you want conversation, then answer me this," Eric waited for the question he knew was coming, "where are we going to eat at?"

Eric nearly laughed. He was so sure Ryan would ask why he suddenly decided to "get to know" his younger colleague.

"There's this great Chinese place I know of a couple blocks from _Essence_. You don't have any objections to Chinese food I should know about, do you?"

"None that I can think of," out of the corner of his eye Eric saw Ryan pull a face, "unless, is it a buffet." Eric laughed out right. The loathing in Ryan's voice couldn't be faked.

"It's not, for curiosities sake, why don't you like buffets?"

Ryan looked sick just at the thought. "Food sits out all day. Anybody and everybody can touch it, breathe on it, sneeze on it, it's just disgusting." The younger CSI shivered in horror.

Eric smirked. Seems like the job was already affecting Wolfe after only a few months. "Yeah, I get where you're coming from. Did you know that even a speaking to someone can get your saliva on their shirt?"

"Actually, I did know that, and that is the exact reason I wash all of my shirts twice. I think I've got my house so clean that if I were to ever go missing or something: the only DNA, besides some new cells of mine, you'd find at all would be from the perp."

"Really, why's that?"

"You don't know? I guess Horatio hasn't told everyone yet. I have a _slight_ case of OCD."

"Slight, huh? So what would you call a severe case if yours is classed as slight?"

"Have you seen that show 'Monk' on USA?"

"Is that the show where Tony Shalhoub is crazy and washes his tooth brush in boiling water?"

"Yep, that's what I'd call severe, especially before he got better, you know where he wouldn't even leave his house. I'm only half as crazy as that."

"So how bad is it?"

"Well, let's just say that I can't do anything if something is out of place or crooked. As soon as we get back to the lab from a scene I wash my hands twice before doing anything. I bleach my bathroom and kitchen every weekend. Just the basics."

"Wow, that's gotta suck."

"It used to, but I've gotten used to it," said Ryan with a slight shrug.

The rest of the car ride followed this pattern for a while. Ryan and Eric would ask questions about each other lives and habits and the other would answer as best they could. They arrived at the restaurant before either realized more than five minutes had passed.

Dinner passed in a blur of amusement for Eric. Every time the waiter put something on the table Ryan had to rearrange it. In fact he had bet Ryan that he couldn't move anything between the waiter's trips and he got to laugh at the man as he fidgeted mercilessly.

Eric had even started guessing what it was that was bothering Ryan. When he got it right, Ryan could fix it.

"Is it the salt shaker?" Eric asked for the third time. Laughing at the miffed glare he received from Ryan who was pointedly staring at the candle that was off center by a couple centimeters. "Alright, go ahead and move the candle back."

Ryan moved so fast Eric almost didn't see the candle move back to its proper place. When the man settled back into his seat with a contented sigh, he took only one look at Eric's amazed face before laughing as well.

They both studiously ignored the glares they were getting from the waiters who were beginning to get irritated that they couldn't even set the platters down correctly.

Sometime during the dinner Eric realized he was having a great time. It was really easy to laugh around Ryan. He hadn't pried at all into Eric's life, even when Eric probed for information about Ryan's past. Eric also realized that if he wanted Ryan to know anything about him, he'd have to offer. It was a nice change.

Dinner seemed to end too quickly for Ryan. He was sure that as soon as they hit _Essence _Eric would once again ditch him to be with some hot girl or other. The brunette was extremely surprised when Eric offered to pay the check and flat out refused to allow Ryan to leave so much as a tip for the waiter (Eric even gave the waitress a double tip for putting up with their antics at Ryan's request).

After leaving the restaurant, they decided to walk to the club so they wouldn't have to find parking again. On the short walk it became obvious that there was something in the air between them that made the atmosphere extremely comfortable. Laughs and conversation flew between them easily.

The line in front of _Essence_ stretched around the block. The dark colored building was quivering on its lot from the intense music blasting away inside. Lights flickered through the windows to reveal shadows of the writhing patrons.

Eric had been to the club enough to know the bouncer by name, despite _Essence_ having just opened five months ago. As soon as the bulky door guard saw Eric, he waved both men up to the front and let them in.

The music was blazing. Eric skillfully twisted his body through the throng of people. Eric smiled as a new song blasted through the speakers. He turned to Ryan standing next to him. Nearly screaming to be heard over the music, he said, "I love this song!"

Ryan smiled and nodded. Ryan wasn't, however, expecting Eric to grab his hand and pull him out onto the dance floor. It wasn't hard to get into the rhythm of the song and soon they were swaying together.

Eric hadn't quite noticed that Ryan had a natural grace about him. They danced separately but together. When the dancers around them noticed them, they moved back to give the two of them room. It was obvious to anyone watching that a) both were extremely good dancers, and b) both were having a blast.

Ryan knew that the only time he'd ever be able to completely let himself go was when he was dancing. Eric marveled at the younger man. He was like a force of sensuality on the dance floor. If Eric hadn't already been attracted to the younger CSI, he would have definitely been interested after seeing him dance.

Hours passed in this manner. Every time the two of them got onto the dance floor an invisible force kept the other patrons mystified. Every once in a while someone would be brave enough to ask one of them to dance. But when Eric turned down the first girl and then glared at the one propositioning Ryan, Ryan followed his colleagues lead and denied any requests. Drinks flowed but not enough to make either unaware of their surroundings or circumstance. Ryan was acutely aware that Eric had only recently changed his opinion of him, and Eric knew that he and Ryan had barely scratched the surface.

The evening flew by until it was well into early morning and time was drifting towards closing hour. The crowd had thinned severely.

Neither Ryan nor Eric knew exactly when it happened, but at some point in the night they had gravitated towards each other and now they were just rocking together, turning in a circle.

Ryan's head unsettled itself from underneath Eric's chin, and he tilted it up to stare into the Cuban's eyes. "Thank you," Ryan said just loud enough for Eric to be able to hear him over the music.

Eric stared back into Ryan's eyes. "What for?"

"Everything, this evening, dinner, a chance."

Eric's heart pulled even as Ryan resettled. "Hey," Ryan looked up again, "let's get out of here." Ryan smiled and nodded. He moved to separate himself from Eric. But Eric wouldn't allow him to move away completely. He kept hold of Ryan's hand and interlaced their fingers.

Ryan looked down at their hands in wonder and gave Eric a blinding smile. Eric couldn't help but smile in return. Their hands never unlocked the whole ride back to Ryan's house.

Eric walked Ryan up to the door. Ryan thought about it, but didn't invite Eric in. He needed sleep if he was going to function tomorrow.

Ryan turned to say goodbye, and was cut off by a pair of soft, warm, lips covering his own. He sighed and melted into the kiss he'd been yearning for, for several months now. A spark flew between them and Ryan closed his eyes.

Eric thought about pushing his luck and delving into Ryan's mouth, but decided against it. This truce was still too new for that kind of intimacy. Hell it was too soon for this kind of intimacy, but he couldn't help himself. He felt so comfortable around Ryan, and hopefully the sooner this bet was over the sooner he could let Ryan get to know him as well.

He pulled away and left a whispered goodnight on Ryan's lips. Ryan's smile was soft when he opened his eyes. The younger man turned and opened his door before stepping into his house. Eric was already walking down the sidewalk by the time he had opened the door, but he froze when Eric called out to him again.

"Hey, do you want to go out for coffee tomorrow?"

Ryan thought about it. He had no doubt that Speed would want all the details about his night first thing tomorrow, if he didn't stop by at eight in the morning just for that reason. But he should be free sometime in the afternoon. "Sure, how about I call your cell around noon? I've got some errands to run tomorrow morning."

"Sounds, fine." Eric smirked as he slid into his car. Already Ryan was like putty in his hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Bet

**Author:** Kat1132

**Beta's:** I lost them. I'm going to go look for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own either CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, or any of its characters. This story is not intended to infringe on any copyrights by the makers of CSI and it's owners. No profit is being made for this piece of fiction.

**Summary:** AU Eric is dared to get the newest CSI not only in his bed, but to fall in love with him as well. But how will Ryan react? And what will happen when an escaped convict from NYC brings Messer and Flack? Crossover in Chapter 2. Ryan is the MC. Alive!Speed

**Pairings:** Ryan/Eric (obviously), Danny/Don (perhaps in the future, but minor if anything at all)f

**Warnings:** SLASH. Very AU. Speed is alive (and it will be explained). Danny Messer and Don Flack are coming in the second chapter along with a criminal that we all love to hate. This does not follow any sort of episode timeline or cannon, but I tried to stay at least somewhat true to the strange and obscure cases that land in the CSI's lap. And yes, I am taking several liberties with both canons. Don't worry, not to much. Some Spoilers (not sure how many or particular episodes, but there are some, none from the current seasons though, don't worry).

**AN:** This is the chapter when the crossover will come into play. I'm mentioning this beforehand because I know there will be questions. This is AU, completely and totally so Danny and Lindsay haven't even dated, much less gotten engaged/pregnant. I'm not sure if the Don/Danny pairing will play out at all; let me know if I should follow that through. I wanted to give this a more realistic vibe by giving them a case and an objective to help pull in the other elements.

Let me know what you think, and please, this hasn't been beta'd, so point out the errors so I can fix them.

Chapter Two:

Ryan woke up, sunlight shining in his eyes, a delicious aroma tickling his nose and a scruffy face grinning down at him. Timothy Speedle was sitting on his bed waiting for him to wake up, coffee in hand. Ryan pushed his torso off the bed, forcing his back to bend backwards, before flopping back down into the soft comfort. Speed watched this ritual with an amused smile before thrusting the lukewarm coffee under Ryan's nose. Ryan flipped over onto his back and accepted the much welcome offering with relish. He sipped the divine liquid and closed his eyes in bliss as the flavor hit his brain; this was why he woke up every morning.

Speed and Ryan sipped their coffee in mutual appreciation. They didn't speak or even look at one another as they enjoyed their bliss. It was only once the liquid gold had vanished that Ryan reopened his eyes and focused on his friend.

"So," started Ryan. He knew perfectly well why Speed had let himself into his apartment (they had traded keys years ago), but he wanted to make his friend fish a little for the details.

"So? Are you going to tell me all about your 'date'?" Ryan rolled his eyes; Speed couldn't be subtle to save his life.

"It went fine." Ryan protested when he saw the incredulous look. "We went out to dinner and talked over trivial things, then we went to that new club, _Essence, _and then he dropped me off here."

"No good night kiss? Plans for a future date? There's no way the Eric Delko I know would have let you go so easily, even if he was half blind," said Speed.

Ryan examined the empty coffee mug in his hands, avoiding Speed's eyes. "Well he did make me promise to call this afternoon."

"Ha, I knew it!" Ryan narrowed his eyes in annoyance but did not say anything. Speed and Ryan spent the morning going over the details of the date. Speed was slightly surprised at the sudden turnaround in Eric's behavior and commented as such to Ryan who shrugged it off in typical Ryan fashion.

Speed knew his friend. Ryan was half in love with Delko already and Eric probably knew it. It honestly unsettled Speed because Delko didn't tend to suddenly start showing interest in anyone, particularly a guy, without something else involved. For Ryan's sake, Speed hoped that Eric had finally analyzed his actions towards the newbie and realized that Ryan was a great guy and definitely worth getting to know, even if it took forever to loosen him up.

Speed and Ryan made breakfast and devoured the small meal of toast and eggs before Ryan kicked Speed out of his house. He had to get ready for his coffee date with Delko after all, and didn't Speed have other things he had to do with his time than bug Ryan?

Speed left with a roguish grin announcing that he would return for more details from Ryan, and if Ryan didn't produce said details, he would announce his 'living' status to Eric and get the details from him. Ryan laughed because he knew perfectly well that Speed wouldn't get around to reintroducing himself to the crime lab for at least another few days. He gave Speed a shove and told him to mind his own business, knowing Speed never would.

Closing the door on his nosey friend, Ryan returned to his bedroom to change the sheets and make the bed. He then proceeded to clean his house extensively during the three hours between Speed's departure and when he needed to call Eric.

-

They met at a local bakery. No nonsense Latin women bustled around calling out orders and delivering food with swift efficiency. Spanish flowed around them in a stream of harried voices. Ryan was glad Eric was with him. He knew enough Spanish to get by, but this type of atmosphere overwhelmed him.

Eric's eyes were alight though, a grin splitting his face handsomely. He was seriously enjoying this. It reminded him of his last family reunion.

Getting their food didn't take long as Eric ordered. A few of the women called out to him as though they were old friends, and they exchanged jokes and pleasantries before Eric introduced him to the formidable shop ladies.

One of the elder women made a sly comment from the look on her face, though Ryan didn't catch what it was, before she turned and practically threatened Eric.

Eric just laughed and got their food before ushering Ryan to a table.

The two men sat in silence for a while. It was crazy enough in the small building that there was no lack of noise, but the flowing Spanish soothed Ryan's ragged nerves like a slow song on the radio would. He let himself get wrapped up in the language, occasionally picking up on a strand of conversation before it flew over his head again.

Strangely enough, the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable as most of the silences between the two had been before last night. Ryan could tell something was bothering Eric, but he didn't mention it. If Eric wanted to tell him, he would.

Eric was chewing on a question, thinking it through. If he asked it wrong, he might lose the interesting new camaraderie they had formed last night. But the question was burning. He couldn't think of anything else.

"So," Eric finally took the plunge, "why didn't you ask me why I've suddenly shown an interest in hanging out with you?" Ryan blinked in surprise. He certainly hadn't expected the question to come out of the blue, much less be pointed out so bluntly.

"I figured it didn't matter." Eric looked skeptical so Ryan elaborated. He probably didn't want to talk about this anymore than Eric did. "I mean, it's not like we can go back and fix wherever it was I screwed up so badly."

Eric was surprised. Ryan made it sound like it was Ryan's fault for how the lab had treated him. The Ryan Wolfe he thought he knew would have eagerly blamed the lab for his misfortune. His whole perception of Ryan shifted.

"And besides, if this is a short thing, then I didn't want to ruin it by questioning your motives."

"'Ruin' it?

Ryan smiled. It seemed sad, though Eric could honestly say he didn't see enough of Ryan's smiles to tell the difference between this one and ones he'd glimpsed before. And while normally when Eric saw Ryan smile he felt angry, a sense of immense hurt that Ryan could smile while Eric was so upset. When he caught sight of this smile, however, he felt his heart ache for Ryan though he couldn't say why.

"I'm lonely." Eric looked at Ryan quickly. That was definitely not what he expected.

"What did you just say? I thought you said you were lonely?"

Ryan's lips quirked up in genuine amusement at the tone Eric was using. "I'm serious. I alienated most of my friends on Patrol when I became a CSI."

"But didn't you say that we couldn't go out yesterday because you were meeting a friend?"

Ryan smiled again. It was such pure joy at the mention of his friend that Eric was shocked. The expression did weird things to his insides. He was used to getting those weird feelings from women, but to have a guy give him butterflies? He'd really have to watch himself if he wanted to win the bet and not break himself in the process.

"Yeah, he's been out of town for a while, but hopefully he's here to stay," said Ryan.

Eric couldn't place how that made him feel, it certainly wasn't jealousy. "Sounds like you guys are close. When did you meet?"

"Back in high school. I was the new kid, he was the loner, we hit it off when the half the school got sick including both of our chemistry partners."

"Sounds like nerd love," said Eric somewhat bitter, but unsure as to why. It didn't make him feel better when Ryan outright laughed at him.

"No way, we're just like brothers. We just really hit it off. We had a lot in common and I ended up following him down here after I finished my bachelor's degree."

"So if you followed him down here, why did he leave? Was he trying to get away or something?" asked Eric, more out of politeness than actual interest.

"It's complicated," Ryan said, and left it at that.

Eric let Ryan end the conversation and asked for the check. After paying for their meals, which magically disappeared despite all attempts to savor the delicious flavors, Eric took Ryan home before heading off himself.

Eric smiled as he got in his car and pulled away from Ryan's house. That went well.

* * *

Last Night, Riker's Island, New York:

He was sure it would work. The bribes had been paid, the gears greased by large sums. Soon, Sonny Sassone would be a free man. There was just one more complication to be dealt with. The guard who patrolled the halls needed to be taken care of before the plan could be set into motion. They couldn't find any leverage on the dumb bastard, and they couldn't have any insurance that he wouldn't turn tail and squeal on the whole operation should they include him in the scheme. He would have to be taken out.

Once the guard was out of the picture Sonny would be back. And the Tanglewood Boys would get their revenge on the traitor, Danny Messer.

-

Ron Rolsasky was making his nightly rounds at Riker's Island Prison. He had worked there for three years, dealing with some of the most twisted minds New York had to offer.

Ron made his way to the high security ward, flashing his light into each cell, checking that the occupants were still where they were supposed to be. He passed by Sonny Sassone's cell and notice the Italian man wide awake, fully dressed, standing, and staring directly at him; smiling his crooked smile that made Ron want to knock all his crooked teeth out.

"What are you doing up, Sonny?" he asked the black haired man, not really interested in the answer.

"Say good night, Copper." Ron felt something crash into his back. He went down, knocked out cold.

-

Mac Taylor's steel grey eyes snapped open at the sound of his cell phone ringing. He glanced over at the large digital, neon green numbers of his clock and became instantly alert. It was almost five o'clock in the morning. There was only one person who would be calling him at this time of night, and Stella Bonasara wasn't the type to call over nothing.

"Taylor," announced Mac, running a hand over his face and through his short cropped marine cut hair.

"Mac, Sonny Sassone broke out of Riker's last night."

-

Only twenty minutes later Mac Taylor walked into his packed office. His presence was immediately notice. Taylor, an ex-marine, was not someone easily forgotten. From the windy city of Chicago, the power he carried in his aura demanded respect. Mac always stood up straight and kept eye contact. His suites were always pressed, (except after an all-nighter) his shoes always shined. He was a detective and in charge of the CSI's who worked New York City. Mac was well respected by the mayor and all the different police chiefs, even if they didn't see eye to eye on all of the cases.

After losing his wife on 9/11, Mac drifted away from his friends and colleagues. Now, only fifteen minutes after five in the morning, every member of his team was crammed into his office.

"Where are we?" asked he as he moved to his desk. The other people occupying the close quarters moved to let him by.

"We've been able to ferret out some of the inside contacts but as to where they went, nobody's talking." Stella a slim woman of his height and dwarfing curly hair spoke up.

"The guy in the cell across from Sonny's ID'd one of the Tanglewood Boys as the guy who knocked out the guard." Don Flack, a detective who worked with them so often he was like family to most of them, spoke while checking his memo book.

"And how's he doing?" Mac wanted to know.

Hawk, the former ME and second newest addition to the team, answered, "He got a nasty concussion when he hit the ground, but no lasting damage. He say's he didn't see the guy who wacked him."

"Well at least we don't have a DB to deal with," said Mac as he sat down.

The team stayed silent as Mac thought over what step to take next.

Danny Messer in particular was sitting on the edge of his chair. With blond highlighted brown hair and ice blue eyes covered by thin rectangular glasses, Danny was a looker. He was in very good shape and a trouble maker. He had the issue of not being able to turn off his mouth at times. He used to be a friend of Sonny's, and on his way into Sonny's gang, the Tanglewood's. Danny's life had changed when he had discovered chemistry and science.

Danny knew Sonny would be out for revenge. But who Sonny thought had wronged him bothered Danny more than his actual escape. Sonny took revenge very seriously, and if he knew Sonny the way he thought he did, Sonny would be gunning for him, not Mac.

"Someone go check with all the private and public airports as well as all car rental records and security. See if either Sonny or his friend left us a trail."

The team dispersed to try and get Mac's tall order to him in a timely manner.

-

Sonny smiled at Joe Spegal as the man on the other side of the bars reached down and unhooked Ron's keys from his belt. As soon as Sonny was out of his cell the two ran out of Riker's and to the nearby air base. Sonny walked on to the plane and as soon as the other man had closed the door he turned to the pilot and announced their departure. The man flying the plane nodded his assent and turned the plane towards the runway.

As the plane was taking off, the pilot turned back to the two men celebrating their well executed plans. "Where to, gentlemen?"

"Miami," said Sonny with conviction. When the other man in the cabin looked at him strangely, he answered the unspoken question. "There's a sure fire way to get to Messer, and he lives in Miami."

Mike Gord didn't like the way this conversation was sounding. Whoever this Messer guy was, it sounded like he had ticked off the wrong people and someone else was going to be paying for it.

Mike resolved that as soon as this job was done he'd disappear. There was no way he wanted involved in what was going on. If the money hadn't been so good he wouldn't even be here now. He sighed into his headset and turned the plane towards Miami. The sooner these two got out of his plane, the better.

-

"Mac," Stella said walking into his office holding a manila folder, "We've got a lead. A video feed from the private airfield close to Riker's. Sonny and Joe Spegal were seen getting into a private jet. I just got off the phone with air control, guess where they were headed?" Mac didn't even try to guess knowing that she'd tell him faster if he just waited her out. "Miami."

"Nice work, Stell."

"That's not all." The smile on Stella's face was big enough to light the lab. "We got the pilot, a Mike Gord." She smacked the file she was holding against her hand and turned to accompany Mac walk through the lab. "What's the next step?"

"I think we should send someone down to Miami to help them out."

Stella paused, "You're thinking about Danny." The two paused in the corridor, turning to face each other

Mac faced her, expecting that she was going to argue with him. "He's the obvious choice. He knows Sonny and he was telling me yesterday that he had a friend who recently was added to Horatio's team."

"Well someone should go with him."

"I can't spare anyone else from the lab. We had a triple homicide last night. I need everyone here working the evidence. That we can even send Danny is a miracle."

"Well, how 'bout Flack?" asked Bonasara.

Mac thought about it. There was a new detective that had yet to get his feet wet. "As long as he clears it with his captain."

-

Sonny settled back down into his leather seat. He'd gotten word that Ryan Wolfe was working as a cop in Miami. He remembered the little squirt from back in New York. Sonny blamed Ryan primarily for Danny pulling out of becoming a Tanglewood. If Wolfe hadn't introduced Danny to chemistry and made him into such a God damn nerd, Danny would have followed Louie into the Tanglewood gang like a good little dog.

Wolfe screwed up Danny's future. And Danny cared the world for the little shit. Maybe offing Wolfe would teach Danny not to double cross the Tanglewood Boys, and more importantly Sonny Sassone.

-

The minute Don Flack heard of the plan for him to accompany his good buddy Danny Messer down to Miami, he was in his captains office negotiating the logistics. Captain Quinn finally decided to let Flack go, on the condition that Flack made sure to do all the paperwork and keep precise records. Flack promised without a thought. Quinn excused him for the rest of the day to go home and pack.

Don called Mac up to let him know Quinn was onboard. Then he called Danny, who had just been informed of his trip, to explain that he would be going down to Florida as well. The two went home to pack with plans to meet in the morning for breakfast before they went to JFK to catch their plane.

-

Horatio called his team together for a meeting, even requesting for Mr. Wolfe to come in on his day off. H pulled off his sunglasses and looked at the team assembled before him. He didn't miss that Eric had maneuvered so he was sitting next to the exhausted brunette. Horatio's face was grim as he prepared to tell this news.

"I just got a call from a friend of mine, Detective Mac Taylor from New York City. And it seems that Sonny Sassone has escaped from Rikers Island. Taylor and his CSI's have traced the man to Miami and he is sending two of his best men down to Miami to help us find Sonny. Danny Messer and Detective Don Flack are coming down here to help us out.

"Now I need someone who has room to give these two a place to stay," said Horatio looking through his brow at his team.

"I'll do it," said Mr. Wolfe almost before Horatio had stopped speaking. Ryan blushed when he realized that everyone was staring at him but he didn't explain. He was too tired to care at the moment.

He knew Danny from when he lived in New York City. Ryan and his family were vacationing in New York City when his parents and sister died in a car crash. Ryan, the only survivor of the three car pile-up, was sent to an orphanage until his Uncle Ron could be contacted to come get him. But Uncle Ron left Boston without telling anyone and he couldn't be found.

His uncle had gone on a long vacation to Europe and could not be contacted for several months. Ryan had been forced to go to school while he was waiting for the man's return. Ryan had met Danny in school in Chemistry class and, after a rocky start, they had quickly become friends. Danny had even become a protector of sorts for Ryan, who was a favorite target for bullies.

Ryan and Danny still spoke over the phone on occasion. Danny told Ryan everything, including his crush on one Don Flack. Ryan wondered how well Danny would handle the close quarters, but he didn't think the other man would mind too much.

He didn't know if Flack would be able to handle his OCD, but he knew Danny had been around him long enough to know how he liked things. Danny would be able to help him.

Eric was surprised that Ryan would offer to take not only one, but two, strangers into his home. He had experienced Ryan's OCD first hand when he picked Ryan up for dinner last night. There wasn't a single thing out of place at all. He was worried about how the strangers would react to Ryan's issues. But he trusted Ryan's judgment. Ryan knew more about his OCD than Eric did.

Since Horatio didn't question Wolfe's decision, so no one else felt they could either, though several significant glances were exchanged.

Horatio continued, describing what was known about Sonny's escape. Apparently, he had bribed several people, including guards, to orchestrate his escape. The New York CSI's had tracked him to a private jet captain who had admitted that he had flown Sonny to Miami. The man had died in holding due to an anonymous stabbing. The New York team was following leads to find the people on the inside that had helped Sonny escape.

Horatio asked for volunteers to go down to Miami Dade airport to pick Messer and Flack up. He guessed Wolfe would want go so he could meet Danny and Flack. Horatio wasn't surprised, after having observed the man's strange gravitation towards Mr. Wolfe all week, when Eric volunteered immediately after Ryan said he'd go. He was surprised, however, when Calliegh also decided to tag along.

Horatio gave the three of them permission to go and sent Natalia back to the DNA lab to work on the back log that had been piling up while she had been in the field.

Ryan got into the Hummer's back seat as Eric drove and Calliegh sat in the passenger seat. No one was speaking though Ryan could see that Calliegh was shifting with questions she wished to ask, but wasn't quite sure how to word so she wouldn't offend Ryan, and after the birthday present he had given her, she was unsure how to act around him.

Ryan wasn't going to answer any questions she didn't ask and so the ride to the airport was spent in silence.

-

Danny was sitting in the window seat, ice blue eyes eagerly peering down at the landscape was passing below the aircraft. Don was sitting beside him fast asleep, his head lolling back on his neck.

Danny's thought's roamed. But mostly they focused on Ryan. He remembered how they met. During sophomore year, he had walked into his last required science class, chemistry. It was the first class of the first day and Danny was late, as had become usual for him; he had been talking with Sonny.

Danny had planned on slacking off in the class as he did in every other class. Grades weren't important when your future was secure as a Tanglewood.

When Danny looked around the classroom there was only one seat open and the only reason that one seat was open was the simple fact that Danny had claimed it way back in freshman year. A mop of brown hair was slumped over an open chemistry book in the seat next to it. There was no way the kid could have known he had just sat himself next to a future Tanglewood.

Danny sat down next to the skinny boy. The kid actually smiled shyly at Danny and introduced himself. It was odd. No one had acted friendly towards Danny since he had started hanging out with Sonny.

Ryan Wolfe was quiet and shy. He had lost the things most precious to him and wasn't cowering in his grief, but living for his parents and sister who had died. He wore sweater-vests, a thing that Danny had soon learned to recognize as Ryan's way of showing his insecurity. Ryan rarely stood up for himself, something Danny had helped him get over after only two months of acquaintance. Ryan had a quality about him that made you want to hug him and never let him go. Perhaps it was his giant green eyes, or his elfin features, but Ryan had a look about him that screamed a need for protection.

Only a few weeks had passed since Ryan and Danny met. Danny was actually passing chemistry. Not only did he pass, but he actually got an 'A'. For the first time in his high school career Danny had felt smart. He had pulled B's without really trying and taking only the mediocre classes offered by the school. But having Ryan sit next to him in most of his classes, so excited about what they were learning, had inspired him in a way nothing had before. It was like Ryan lit a fire under Danny, making him want to make the grades.

Ryan's enthusiasm was contagious when he latched onto the schools gruff loner, Timothy Speedle and drew him into their study group. Ryan and 'Speed' as they had affectionately named the kid when he expressed a deep dislike for 'Timothy', were thicker than thieves, and after seeing how well Speed handled himself when accosted with some of the more arrant gang members, Danny felt comfortable leaving his vulnerable new friend alone with him.

Alone Ryan was persuading, but after he and Speed had joined forces, they inspired Danny so much he drifted away from Sonny and his brother Louie's influence. He had caught Sonny teasing the younger brunette one day after school. When he had seen his friend being pushed around like a sack by Sonny he had nearly snapped.

Ryan was the one who had introduced him and Speed to the "dream job". Ryan helped him get his life back on track. He owed a lot to Ryan Wolfe.

He had been devastated for his friend when he heard about Speed's passing. While he and Speed had been close, each of them special to Ryan in their own way, he knew that his relationship with Speed was nowhere near Ryan's. Even so, he and Ryan had spent long hours curled around the phone sobbing over their friends death, falling asleep to the comforting words of the other drifting through the wires and over the miles to soothe them into sleep.

After Ryan lost his parents, and with his uncle always traveling Ryan latched on to his friends. The younger man was very dependent on his friends. Danny knew that the wound that gaped when they had discovered Aiden's mutilated body was equaled only by Ryan's pain for Speed's passing.

Speed was older than the Danny and Ryan and after he graduated college, Speed moved down to Miami, having realized that he couldn't handle being a criminalist in his hometown. Ryan was offered a full ride scholarship to Boston College after graduating valedictorian, and Danny got into the minor leagues. Ryan would drive down every once in a while on school breaks to hang out with his friend, share a few beers and just catch up in general. After graduating college, Ryan followed Speed down to Miami.

The occasional visits were enough for a while, but without Ryan and Speed's constant support, Danny fell back in with his brother and the Tanglewood's.

Last year when Louie was beaten half to death and put in the hospital after saving Danny from a murder rap, Ryan flew up from Miami to keep Danny away from the edge. While Danny had a whole family looking out for him and his brother, despite that relations had been strained due to the brother's gang ties, Ryan only had Danny now that Speed was gone. Ryan took a week of vacation time to stay with Danny, to be the man's rock as Danny had so often been for Ryan. Ryan really helped Danny get through that week

A particularly loud snore drew Danny's attention away from the blurring landscape and to Danny looked over at Don and winced in pity. When they got off the plane Don was going to have a horrible crick in his neck. Danny smiled. He was lucky Don was able to go with him. Don would love Ryan, he was sure of it.

Maybe Don could help him convince Ryan to ditch the people who were so cruel to him in Miami and come back to New York. Danny would even let Ryan live with him until he found his own place. Danny was sick of getting phone calls from Ryan where his friend was either exhausted or in tears due to the shoddy treatment he was receiving. Worse, Ryan always shrugged it off, which made Danny madder than heck.

Maybe things were better for Ryan now, though. Danny hadn't spoken to Ryan in two weeks, but people could change, and had, in less time. Danny was just truly worried. Ryan was such a great guy that he couldn't allow someone to break him.

Danny understood the pain of losing a comrade. When Aiden died he didn't know what he was going to do. He had wound up over at Don's place drinking himself into a daze and picking a star to name for Aiden. It had made sense when he was drunk.

It was about then that he began to change how he looked at his friend after Don helped him out. Don just let him cry and didn't judge. Don had played hoops until they were both too exhausted to even lift the ball anymore.

Yes, Danny was glad to be going to see his friend. He was glad Don was coming with him. And he couldn't wait to stick Sonny back behind bars where he belonged.

-

Ryan was nearly bouncing in place as they waited outside of security for Danny to arrive. He was mildly curious about the man who had caught Danny's interest, but it was pushed aside in favor of the bubbly feeling of excitement.

His grin threatened to split his face as he spotted his friends spiky blond hair walking through the gate. He would recognize Danny Messer's smile anywhere. Danny dropped his laptop bag to the floor and met Ryan in a grand hug that swept the slightly younger man off his feet with his enthusiasm.

The enthusiastic meeting between the two threw off their companions. Danny and Ryan began speaking quickly, catching up. When they finally released each other, they spent a minute just staring at each other to memorize the changes the other had undergone.

Finally they pulled away completely. Danny turned and said, "It's good to see you Ry, let me introduce my good friend, Don Flack." Ryan reached out to take Flack's hand, noticing the man's piercing blue eyes first about his appearance, strong features immediately after.

"It's nice to meet you," said Flack as he stretched out his hand. "Danny's told me a lot about you. He didn't shut up more ten minutes, he was yapping 'bout you so much."

"Hey, you got to sleep didn't ya?"

"No thanks to you."

Ryan released Don's hand after giving it a firm shake. "Danny's been known to do that. God knows he's spent over an hour talking over the phone with me about you."

"All good I hope?" replied Don.

"Most of it." Danny shot Ryan a glare. Ryan caught it and gave the blond a smirk, which Danny returned with a fake to Ryan's head. Ryan just smiled as he raised his hand to defend himself.

Ryan had nearly forgotten that Eric and Calliegh had come with him until Calliegh coughed. The three other males turned to see Ryan's coworkers staring at them. Neither had ever seen Ryan act like this. (The closest was when Eric held Ryan while they were dancing at Essence two nights ago.) He was so carefree. It was as though he'd shed twenty pounds of weight, or gained it.

"Hey Ry, these the clowns you been telling me about?" Calliegh and Eric couldn't quite tell whether or not Danny was joking or being serious.

"Knock it off, Danny. These are my colleagues Eric Delko and Calliegh Dunseque." The two shook first Danny's hand then Don's.

"It's nice to meet you," said Calliegh. "So, Ryan didn't tell us that you guy already knew each other."

"Yeah, Ry and me go way back. Lived with me up in New York for a while."

"Really! So, What do you specialize in Danny?" asked Calliegh.

"Trace mostly," answered Danny lifting his laptop bag onto his shoulder, before he turned back to Ryan, "Hey Ry, you know where we're staying?"

"Well, actually, Ryan volunteered to have you guys stay with him." Calliegh answered before Ryan could speak up.

Danny slapped Ryan on the shoulder, a wide grin on his face. Ryan grimaced as Danny hit him, but smiled anyway. Danny noticed and turned to look at his friend properly. Ryan looked like he hadn't slept in days. The bags under his eyes were purple. The kid had slimmed down, and not in a healthy way if Danny was to judge.

Ryan shifted uncomfortably under Danny's stare. He was nervous about if he'd changed since he had last seen Danny, and whether or not Danny would mind.

Danny noticed Ryan's nervousness and gave the younger man a gentle smile. He knew that Ryan had a tendency to over think things (a side effect of his OCD).

Ryan shifted despite Danny's calming smile. He could feel the weight of Eric and Calliegh's stares. He was desperate to break the awkwardness that had fallen over the group. "So," he said, "are you sick of the airport yet?" Both Danny and Don laughed while Eric and Calliegh smiled. Eric was somewhat familiar with Ryan's wit, but as Calliegh hadn't encountered Ryan outside of work she hadn't seen him loosen up enough to joke around.

Danny threw his arm around Ryan's shoulder and grabbed Don's wrist (effectively dragging the older man behind them) as the three headed off to baggage claim.

Calliegh looked at Eric surprise in her eyes. Eric just smiled and shrugged. The Ryan outside of work was completely different from the man they knew on the job.

They just smiled and followed the three men towards the baggage claim.

"Good God Danny, are you moving in or something?" Ryan was staring at the three bags Danny had checked separate from his laptop bag.

"Na, you know I need a special bag for my shoes." Ryan laughed at such a ridiculous notion. It's true that Danny cared about clothes more than Ryan did, and they didn't know how long the two from New York would be staying, but three seemed a little extreme to Ryan. To be fair, Don had the same amount of bags Danny had, but Ryan wasn't comfortable enough to tease Don, or anyone else he'd just met, the way he teased one of his oldest friends.

-

It had taken about an hour to get out of the airport and onto Highway 95, the freeway that ran through Miami. Ryan couldn't keep his eyes open. He was squished against the window behind Eric, who was driving, with Danny next to him in the middle, and Don against the other window.

Don was staring out the window taking in the palm trees. He'd never had a reason to leave the state before, and he'd certainly never seen palm trees. Danny too was peering over Don's shoulder at the trees scenery passing them by. It took about thirty minutes to go ten miles. They were crawling along when Danny felt something land on his shoulder. He turned to investigate and saw Ryan fast asleep. He smiled down at the mop of hair. Ryan needed the sleep, and to be honest, Danny didn't really mind being his temporary pillow.

Don looked over at Danny and saw Ryan asleep. He had heard enough about Ryan from Danny to know what kind of relationship they had. It was purely platonic. He stared at the younger guy from over Danny's shoulder. Ryan looked like one of those people made to be hugged and mothered to death.

"So how long until we get to Ryan's place?" asked Don.

Eric looked where they were on the highway and guessed, "About twenty minutes in this traffic."

"Do either of you know where he lives?" asked Danny

"I've been there once," said Eric, earning a sharp look from Calliegh. "It's a nice place, and decently close to the crime lab."

"Nice."

Eric turned off the highway and on to the off ramp that lead them down into the heart of Miami. True to his word, in twenty minutes they had pulled into Ryan's driveway. Eric, Calliegh and Don got out of the car first. Danny didn't move, not wanting to wake Ryan up any sooner than he had to. While Eric and Calliegh got his and Don's bags out of the back, Don opened Ryan's door and pulled the brown haired man out carefully trying not to move him too much. Ryan stirred but didn't wake up as Don pulled the smaller man into his arms. Danny pulled out his key to Ryan's place and opened the door for Don and Ryan, who had woken up when Don moved him out of the car.

"Where do you want the bags, Ry?"

"Go ahead and put them in the guest room. And don't forget to close the door."

Calliegh looked around the house with an interest she tried to hide. Her eagerness was noted but not commented upon. Several people in the lab had bets going about what Ryan's house looked like. She eagerly followed Danny and Eric to Ryan's guest room.

Ryan got out of Don's arms and walked around his house, Don following like a lost puppy as he watched Ryan switch all the lights on then off again. With a methodical precision Ryan made sure none of the lights were left on. By the time Danny, Eric and Calliegh had come back all of the lights were off again and Ryan was washing his hands for the fourth time.

Don watched all of this with something akin to fascination but more similar to horror. Danny pulled Don away when he saw the other man staring at Ryan. He knew that Ryan didn't like having an audience when he was fighting with his OCD. He led Don and the other two from Miami back out to the Hummer.

"He'll be out when he's done," was the only reply he gave when asked what Ryan was doing. Danny turned to Eric and Calliegh fire in his eyes. He opened his mouth, whether to tell them off or to demand an explanation he wasn't sure, but he needed to say something. Before the words had formed, Ryan walked out of the house and locked the door.

He opened the car door with his sleeve, something the others hadn't noticed him doing before, and they all piled in. Ryan let out a deep sigh when he saw the looks being exchanged by the other occupants of the car. It was getting worse. His OCD tended to act up in stressful situations. His tentative relationship with Eric coupled with his new house guests and hiding Speed's reappearance was piling up on him. Oh yeah, this was going to be _fun_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Bet

**Author:** Kat1132

**Beta's:** I lost them. I'm going to go look for them.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own either CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, or any of its characters. This story is not intended to infringe on any copyrights by the makers of CSI and it's owners. No profit is being made for this piece of fiction.

**Summary:** AU Eric is dared to get the newest CSI not only in his bed, but to fall in love with him as well. But how will Ryan react? And what will happen when an escaped convict from NYC brings Messer and Flack? Crossover in Chapter 2. Ryan is the MC. Alive!Speed

**Pairings:** Ryan/Eric (obviously), Danny/Don (perhaps in the future, but minor if anything at all)

**Warnings:** SLASH. Very AU. Speed is alive (and it will be explained). Danny Messer and Don Flack are coming in the second chapter along with a criminal that we all love to hate. This does not follow any sort of episode timeline or cannon, but I tried to stay at least somewhat true to the strange and obscure cases that land in the CSI's lap. And yes, I am taking several liberties with both canons. Don't worry, not to much. Some Spoilers (not sure how many or particular episodes, but there are some, none from the current seasons though, don't worry).

**AN:** Sorry it's so late. Hollidays are busy and all that rot. About two-thousand words shorter than the last couple of chapters, but I thought this was a good place to end it. The next chapter is in the works so never fear. Things will begin to fit together more in this chapter. The crossover and Ryan, Danny, and Speed's shared past will be further explained, as well as Ryan's side of his relationship with Danny.

Again, this hasn't been betaed yet, but my faithful beta is working on it. Let me know if you see anything, grammatical, spelling or otherwise, and I'll take care of it. Let me know what you think.

Chapter Three:

The drive back to the lab was long and silent. Ryan had tried to nod off once only to have his head violently slammed against the window as Eric made a sharp left into the parking lot. Head pounding and grumbling angrily, Ryan got out of the Hummer and started towards the lab. He may have been in a better mood had Danny not taken it upon himself to laugh at Ryan's disgruntlement. Shooting a miffed glare at the still chuckling New Yorker, Ryan walked up the marble steps and through the glass door, his coworkers and new housemates following him with amused smiles.

Ryan signed in and filled out the paperwork for the visiting criminalist and detective before handing Don and Danny their respective visitors badges.

"So you gonna show us around?" asked Danny after pinning the well worn, flimsy badge to his jacket.

"Of course," said Calleigh. She promptly launched into tour guide mode and lead Don and Danny around the lab, showing it off. Ryan and Eric shared a wry look at their colleague's enthusiasm and followed the blonde bombshell and the two overwhelmed New Yorkers.

After a thorough tour of the labs and an introduction to the various labtechs, Calleigh led the four men to the conference room.

Danny filed away the information he learned. Natalia, the newest CSI, seemed quite taken with Eric, but Danny hadn't missed the sly glances the brunet was shooting between the Latino and his friend. She came off friendly enough, if a little defensive.

Don met Detective Frank Tripp and liked the balding southerner. He was a little crass, and somewhat gruff, but he was the quintessential cop.

When they finally met Horatio, both Danny and Don could see why Mack liked the enigmatic redhead. He had a different passion for solving cases, and seemed to put a lot more stock in feelings and instincts, but the way he fathered his team and his mere presence echoed the ex-Marine's. There was also that creepy appearing out of thin air thing that Mac's sometimes did that Horatio had down to an art form.

Once they had gotten past the jurisdiction issues, and the good natured ribbing, the real work had started. Danny and Don laid out what they brought down with them. Danny pulled out his laptop, and Don emptied the bag Danny had entrusted to him. On the giant lit table, the two spread out all the evidence they brought down from New York with them. Copies of the autopsy reports, ballistic findings, fingerprints, blood samples, all of Rolasky's possessions, Sassone's case file, and even tapes of Gord's confession, everything the lab back home had discovered was placed on one of the Miami team's giant lit conference tables so the Miami team could familiarize themselves with the evidence.

Don launched started with the Tanglewood boys and their long and winded history in defying the law and making a mockery of the old time mobsters. Then Danny went into Sonny's character and the last few cases that had involved the mobster. He didn't necessarily avoid the topic of his former involvement with the gang other than touching on it briefly, and then moving on quickly to other aspects of those cases.

Ryan caught his friend's uneasiness and gave Danny an evaluating look. He was disappointed that his friend had gotten mixed up in one of the Tanglewood's murders, but he and Danny had already hashed their way through that after Louie was attacked last year.

It took most of the afternoon to work their way through the evidence. There was little more they could do. Mac and Stella were monitoring all of Sonny's old pals and polling the Riker's inmates for a possible motive in heading down to Miami, up in New York. Most weren't even willing to consider speaking with the criminalists without a promise of a reduced sentence attached, so not much progress was being made.

Horatio set Dan Cooper to tracing Joe Spegal's cell phone, but first the man would have to use it for them to trace it. Right now all they could do was wait. Looking around at his team, the redhead suggested they all go out for some after shift beers to make the new temporary additions to the team feel welcome. It had been a long day of flying for the New Yorkers, but Horatio insisted they all go out to the team's favorite bar.

Not nearly foolish enough to turn down free drinks on the boss, the criminalists eagerly agreed.

-

The lights were dim, but the relaxed, playful atmosphere removed any awkwardness that may have lingered once the server retreated with their order. Ryan was sent into laughter after mere moments of his friend's animated retelling of some of the random things that had occurred on the trip over.

"Because we bought our tickets on the same day, right, they mark the stupid things so we get stopped at every single security check point for 'random'," Danny made quotations with his fingers, his blue eyes alight part from irritation, part from humor at the ridiculousness of the situation, "security searches. I mean really, after they questioned me for the fourth time about my gun and then my badge, I was ready to knock some sense into those wannabe mall cops."

Ryan was a little uneasy. He had never gone out with his coworkers after work before. They had always excluded him, perhaps not intentionally, but it had been obvious that they hadn't wanted him there, and he had never pushed it.

He stepped out briefly to call up Speed and inform him of his new house guests. Speed said he'd take care of the issues around Danny not knowing he was alive, and while Ryan hadn't liked the sound of that, Speed hung up before Ryan could properly interrogate his friend. He really hoped Speed didn't turn up tomorrow morning to make breakfast or something, but knowing Speed, it was just the kind of thing he'd do.

The night at the bar was festive and fun, but every once in a while, Ryan couldn't help but feel as though he were merely an extra. Danny tried to include him as often as possible, surprisingly with more of Eric's help than was expected, but Calleigh seemed determined to steer the conversation to their guests.

Ryan stopped drinking after one beer, bound and determined to never drive drunk. Danny and Don could both hold their liquor remarkably well, and Horatio didn't seem fazed at all by his scotch. Eric was on his fourth Corona and Calleigh on her third Mimosa when they decided to call it a night.

It took some careful maneuvering, but Ryan managed to get both New Yorkers into his car without incident. Horatio offered to drive both Eric and Calleigh home as Ryan had no idea where they lived.

Dragging a hammered Danny to bed was not fun. Don was a little more able to walk, but still nearly fell several times. Ryan didn't even bother undressing the blonde man, just took off his sneakers and folded him into the guest bed.

Don crashed in one of Ryan's recliners, his favorite spot to read a good book, and started snoring into the dark leather upholstery. It took a grand total of twenty minutes to set up the sleeper sofa for the tall officer, and a further ten to convince the man to get in it.

When Ryan finally made it to his own bed, it was well after one o'clock and he was more than content to roll over and close his eyes, wishing for morning.

-

The warm smell of crisping bacon woke Ryan up. His green eyes snapped open in alarm. He remembered the chaos that had remained after Danny's last foray in the kitchen. He still wasn't certain how flames had occurred in the microwave, but that was better left for another time when his house wasn't in danger of exploding.

Ryan rolled out of bed, his feet barely touching the ground as he made record time to his kitchen. God he hoped that it was Flack cooking rather than his Italian friend. His bare feet had enough traction to stop his forward motion, but his body didn't seem able to cope with the sharp stop as he wavered dangerously close to falling over just inside his kitchen.

Danny and Don were sitting at the table, happy as you please, and one Timothy Speedle was at the stovetop, frying bacon like he was born to it.

Ryan shot feverish glances between his house guests and his not-dead friend, one hand clutching his heart as he realized just how fast it was racing. Speed had the infuriating nerve to turn to him and smile. How that man ever turned into a morning person, well, maybe Ryan didn't want to know how that particular change came about.

"Good morning, Ryan," said Speed as he nonchalantly flipped the bacon without using a spatula. Ryan cringed at the thought of all the grease splatter that was now coating his entire kitchen. Rather than comment, Ryan moved to sit at the table next to Danny. There was no way he was going to interrupt Speed if he was cooking.

Speed could actually cook quite well when he put his mind to it. He just didn't do so very often. Danny had probably learned his way around a kitchen after living as a bachelor for six years, but after the microwave incident, it had been well ingrained to never let Danny near the kitchen, even if it was mostly in jest.

"So, Speed, how come you ain't dead?" asked Danny when Speed laid the bacon platter on the table.

"Oh you know me, I'm just too pretty to die," said he. Ryan snorted, understanding the reference, and Danny looked non-pulsed before dredging up the long lost memories of watching Firefly with his friends over Christmas break one year. Don looked lost, but no one bothered to enlighten him to the long and involved joke.

"What's on the agenda?" asked Don after having finished two pieces of bacon and breaking apart a third. Half a piece of toast still decorated the detective's plate, but it was obvious to Ryan he had finished.

Ryan stood and gathered Don's plate first, before the man could decimate his bacon bits further, and then trying to take Danny's only to be batted away as Danny protected his second's, and then having Speed stand up and take his own plate to the sink before Ryan could so much as make a grab for it.

"Well, I have the day off today. I've worked seven days in a row and its policy that I get today off. So I was wondering if you wanted to do touristy stuff?" said Ryan.

After much arguing and whining, the four of them finally decided to head down to South Beach.

It had definitely not been funny during the first ten minutes of the ride when both Ryan and Speed insisted they knew the quickest way to the waterfront, and said routes were in opposite directions. Soon it had become one of the most hilarious things either Don or Danny had ever seen. Ryan would be studying one of those cheap free maps they had reluctantly requested from a gas attendant sometime after the first hour of driving around in circles, before flipping the map upside down and announcing that they were going the wrong way again, and needed to turn around, again. This would normally have involved a lot of careful maneuvering; however, Speed had earned his nickname for a reason that became all too apparent when he took a u-turn at thirty miles an hour, slamming Danny into Don despite his seatbelt.

It was only after half an hour that Ryan discovered that the arrows on the streets actually indicated streets that only went one way, and another fifteen to figure out that some of the streets they were passing weren't even on the stupid map. They knew the highway they wanted, it was getting to it that was the problem.

Don and Danny were, of course, adding completely unnecessary comments about the Miami criminalists innate sense of direction and further unwarranted sightings of signs that only the two New York Detectives could see indicating South Beach west one minute, east the next, and so on.

One might wonder why the two Miami natives were incapable of finding one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Florida. The answer: Ryan had hardly found enough leisure time to familiarize himself with the best route to the beach, and usually he drove around until he found one, not necessarily South Beach. The root of their debacle, Ryan insisted, was that Speed had a particular beach in mind and insisted on that particular beach and no other. Speed, despite having this particular beach in mind, hadn't been to Miami in a good two years. It was absolutely amazing how much the layout of the city had changed in that short amount of time.

Finally, after much laughter and even more u-turns, they decided to pick a direction and see where they ended up, only to discover the beach five minutes away quite by accident. Of course as soon as they actually found the beach the sky opened up. Now that they had found the stupid beach, they couldn't venture out to it without getting soaked.

Speed looked around the car and bravely ventured the suggestion that they go to lunch and hope that the rain would clear up before they finished eating.

It didn't. After finishing lunch and then just sitting around the restaurant for over a half hour, nursing drinks, the four men finally gave the beach up as a lost cause and left. The conversation slowed and soon the detectives found themselves sitting in near silence.

They began driving around Miami aimlessly, hoping that they would find inspiration. When they passed a local movie hall showing older movies the bigger theaters had already stopped showing. Speed shared a look with his passengers before pulling into the deserted parking lot.

Speed paid for the tickets and they filed into the theater, grabbing all necessary snacking items while they were at it. The movie was good if a little surreal, and Ryan was totally absorbed after the first twenty minutes.

The four of them sat in the dark, empty movie theater, blindly shoving popcorn into their mouths, occasionally throwing said popcorn at the screen when the lead character did something particularly stupid. The only other people in the movie theater were a couple of teenage girls in the back who were giving commentary about the film that even Don enjoyed at times. Don usually hated people who talked through movies, but as he'd already seen this one when it came out a couple months ago, he found the discussion entertaining.

Even the chattering girls were silent as the intensity of the movie increased. Ryan was gripping the seat handle, popcorn forgotten in the heat of the moment, when Ryan's leg vibrated. He jumped about two feet off his chair in alarm before scrambling to get his cell phone out of his pocket. He gave Speed an apologetic look as he squeezed passed the man and out into the hallway, opening his phone as soon as he made it down from the stadium seating.

"Wolfe,"

"Mr. Wolfe," the woman's voice was brisk and harried, "we need you at a crime scene. Mr. Delko's AWOL. You need to report to the Golfstream Park Race Track, pronto." Ryan heaved a sigh and pulled his brow together with his hand before pinching the bridge of his nose. The track wasn't too far away and he did have his kit in the car. He should be able to get there on foot if there weren't any cabbies around.

"I'll be there ASAP," he told the dispatch caller before closing his phone and ducking back into the theater.

He found his friends easily and sidled up to them, not moving to reclaim his seat as Speed maneuvered out of his way. The other three men looked at him in askance.

Ryan sighed. "I've been called out. Delko didn't show up for work again and I've got to cover him."

Speed nodded, slightly confused. It was supposed to be Ryan's day off. It went against department policy for him to work another shift without more down time. A glance at his friend proved that this wasn't a singular occurrence. Delko had probably ditched many a call to Ryan.

"Do you need some help?" asked Danny. He was ready to get back out on a scene and feel useful, but Ryan shook his head.

"No, I got it covered," said Ryan, "Listen, you guys stay here, finish the movie, and come pick me up at the crime lab later." Ryan deliberately ignored Speed's incredulous look. "You've got spare keys to my car right Speed?" Speed nodded, "I'll call you when I'm done and you can come pick me up."

"How are you going to get to the scene?" asked Danny.

"It's not far from here. The scene is at the Race Track, about a mile from here. I'll a cab or something," said Ryan.

The screen lit up in a barrage of fire and the two giggling girls in the back started cackling. Ryan nodded at his friends and left the theater, wishing he could stay.

In true Miami fashion the monsoon that had tried to drench them earlier had moved on and the skies were clear when Ryan exited the theater. He shadowed his eyes against the blaring Miami sun and looked around the parking lot. There weren't any cabs, and there wouldn't be until much later in the evening. It was too early for cabbies to be hovering outside a movie theater, particularly one so close to the beach; but because he was so close to the tourist infested beach, the cabbies weren't too far away.

Ryan had a card in his wallet with a number for a cab should he wind up drunk and stranded at a bar or his car broke down or something. He dialed the number and they promised a cab within the next five minutes.

Ryan took the time to get his kit out of the trunk of his car before locking the thing up again and heading back to the theater in case the cabbie got bored after looking around and left without him.

True to form, it took the cabbie closer to ten minutes to finally arrive at the theater. Ryan got in the bright yellow car, gently placing his kit beside him, gave the elderly driver the track name, and they were off.

Ryan closed his eyes and relished the warm sun coming through the window and lulling him into lethargy, a drowsy trance that would rejuvenate him for yet another crime scene, with yet another dead body. Sleep had come easier last night than it had in months, but he was still had a lot of hours to make up as far as sleep was concerned. He was sure his easy night had to do with Danny being in his house again, and the old security that still lingered from his high school days he spent under Danny's "protection."

If anything, Ryan had been Danny's protector, maybe not in the physical sense as Danny had always been more muscular than him, but Ryan had effectively protected Danny fro, the life he was starting with the Tanglewood's. All Danny had needed, in those days, was someone who could open his eyes to the other options the world had to offer. Ryan had taken up that mantle and did his best to open Danny's eyes to the world, and then give him a shove out the door to get the stubborn man to look.

It was almost as though Danny felt a need to repay Ryan for his efforts by ensuring he wasn't harassed by anyone; not that it happened often or at all really, save the once that had prompted Danny's protective habits in the first place. Ryan had known well that he would have to prove himself to the diehard New York kids, and yet, he had been surprised and a little unnerved, that after the first month at the school, no one bothered him. It was as though the kids had felt a need to prove themselves, to make sure Ryan wasn't there to usurp the social hierarchy and knew his place in the pecking order. After a month or so, everyone was content to ignore him. He'd had no friends, a tentative acquaintance with Speed notwithstanding until much later in the year. Then the term changed and he'd found himself in Danny Messer's seat.

He and Danny had been close friends, but in many ways, Ryan was the lead in their friendship. Ryan pushed Danny out of his comfort zone and forced Danny to follow his lead.

Sometimes Ryan thought Danny saw Ryan as a child, that same ignored teen, who needed Danny to protect him from the Sonny Sassone's of the world, despite the fact that Ryan had been forced to mature much faster than his friend due to his parent's death. When his uncle Ron had abandoned him in New York, Ryan had had to depend on himself. Danny still had his family for support and that had helped him survive.

The cabbie pulled into the expansive parking lot and drove to the entrance. The police cars stopped them from getting too close. Ryan paid the driver and got out. He flashed his badge at the officer on duty and ducked under the neon yellow tape. It didn't take him long to scan the huge track and spot Calleigh's bright blonde hair. The beautiful woman was taking photos of a large horse downed on the track, gallons of blood dying the sand black. Ryan hurried across the dirt to offer his assistance any way he could. Alex was kneeling next to the horse but looking at the dead man on its back his face pressed into the dirt, her assistants hovering around like flies on the DB.

"Hey Ryan," said Alex when she looked up and saw him standing there.

The first thing Calleigh said when she looked up from her camera was, "Where's Eric?"

"I don't know, I guess he's sick or something," said Ryan, not wanting to say anything against the man who was recently being so nice to him.

"Hmm," said Calleigh as she went back to snapping pictures.

"So what do we have?" questioned Ryan.

"Your victim here was shot while taking Thunder, the dead horse, for a walk around the track to feel it out before race time," interjected Tripp. Ryan looked up at the Detective. He hadn't even noticed the man.

"Do we have a name for the vic yet?" asked Ryan as he took a picture of an entrance wound in the vic's thigh.

Frank shook his head, "No ID. We've contacted the horse's owner, he should know our vic."

"The bullet appears to have gone through the vic's leg and into the horse's chest cavity," said Alex, lifting said leg to show the hole that pierced the thin leather saddle and delved into the depths of the horse's massive body.

"We're probably looking at a sniper rifle of some kind. A bullet that can pierce a human leg, leather and a horse has got to be big." Calleigh commented, photographing the trail of blood that led to the horse. "It appears that the bullet entered the horse over here," she stood about five meters away from the bodies and was gesturing with her hands to indicate the smattering of blood, "and managed to keep going until it fell over by you."

Ryan and Calleigh got to work.

-

They were out in the hot Miami sun for three hours gathering evidence and taking reference samples. Calleigh gave Ryan a lift to the lab when she discovered he didn't have his car; he did not enjoy the mini interrogation he was subjected to about it though that Calleigh seemed to demand as payment for the ride.

It took a further five hours to log evidence and get said evidence in line at trace and DNA. During that time Ryan had found a name to go with his vic, a John Keil and gotten the cause of death from Alex. It made his job both easier and more difficult when Alex announced that the bullet to the leg, while lethal for the horse, hadn't been what killed the victim. It was a weird, extremely exclusive, drug used to enhance racing performance in horses. It was against regulations to use on racing animals, and deadly to humans, particularly in the amounts Alex had found in Keil's system. A syringe full of the stuff had been found in the saddle bags with red trace coating the glass tubing, and there was nothing in his reference samples from the scene that matched the fine red powder.

It was a difficult case and getting harder as now they had to find two, possibly three, perps instead of one.

He was close to solving the case, but night shift was kicking him out. They were a little too familiar with Ryan, and had forced him home before. He only left after they gave him the assurance that they would continue his analysis, if/when they got the chance, and leave the results on Horatio's desk.

Ryan called Danny. Calleigh had headed home at the end of shift, but given Ryan so much work he had felt obligated to stay and get a head start. He would have to come in tomorrow to finish the case.

Danny was groggy when he answered the phone, but promised he knew his way to the crime lab well enough to come and get him. When the man pulled up twenty minutes later, Ryan took one look at the exhausted, yawning New Yorker and decided it would be safer if he drove them home.

Don was already asleep when they arrived, Speed long gone. Danny quickly headed to bed, and Ryan decided to follow his lead, foregoing dinner. He'd had a snack from the vending machine at work, and besides, he'd eat in the morning.

After performing his religious nightly ritual he flopped into bed and clicked off the light. Ryan didn't even have the energy to roll over as he fell asleep.

-

Ryan's neck burned as he stretched. It was lobster red along with his nose, forehead, and cheekbones.

Danny laughed at him when he managed to stumble into the kitchen for breakfast, and Don winced in sympathy. Danny's darker skin tanned easier than Ryan and Don, who burned first and tanned as an afterthought of said burn.

Ryan tolerated Danny's humor as he buttered his toast. They had to hurry. The work at the lab was only piling up. He needed to get back to solving the Keil case, and his guests needed to get back on track and find Sonny Sassone.

-

"Hey Messer," said Dan Cooper as he burst into the trace lab where Danny was going over some of the evidence from New York with the Miami equipment to familiarize himself with the different set up. Ryan was standing across the room taking another look at the weird red substance he had found on the Keil needle.

"Yeah," said Danny as he pulled his head up from the microscope and pulling his glasses back down from his forehead to cover his eyes again, bringing Cooper's bright red shirt back into focus.

"I got a signal, we're in business!" said Cooper, his enthusiasm oozing around him.

"A'right!" Danny's grin was infectious. "I'll call Don and we'll head out. Ryan, you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out."

"Coop, you send me those coordinates!" said Danny as he left the room at a run to get Flack and roll out.

-

It wasn't nearly as exciting as Danny thought it would be. The phone was on yes, but it was moving constantly so they did a lot of driving without much result.

Eric had decided to go with them and rode with Danny while Ryan drove Don around. When Eric saw where they had ended up, he cursed.

"What? Whazthmatter?" asked Danny.

"We're in Mala Noche territory. Your perp seems to be hooking up with the local gangs."

-

The news that Sonny was hooking up with the local gangs gave them a footing and an idea of what Sonny was planning. The drug trafficking market down in Miami was almost as profitable as the drug trafficking Sonny was used to up in New York.

He was making better contacts and probably planning to get Mala Noche help with whatever it was he had planned, unfortunately they didn't know what he had planned.

-

Sonny was indeed planning something. It hadn't taken much for him to find Ryan Wolfe's address. He figured sending a little house warming present to the bastard would be an appropriate gift.

His Mala Noche contact was more than willing to provide him with everything he asked. Of course, a little insurance was always provided, but as Sonny wasn't a threat merely a visitor who was making himself useful, the Mala Noche's were more than happy to help him out.

-

Eric was getting frustrated. Every time he tried to corner Ryan, Danny would appear as if by magic. How on earth was he going to pull off the bet if he couldn't say five words to the guy, let alone get some privacy?

He had missed work yesterday. He had just found out that his beautiful sister Marisol had cancer. It was devastating news. She was so young and full of life that he couldn't imagine her hair falling off or her body wasting away under the chemotherapy that the doctor had prescribed. Luckily, the doctors thought they caught it in time, and the prognosis was good. He had spent yesterday with her trying to comfort her. Ironically she seemed to be comforting him more than anything.

He honestly didn't feel like talking to anyone let alone Ryan. Perhaps tomorrow he'd get around to it. Perhaps tomorrow, he'd feel a little more able to finish the bet. Eric knew that Ryan was half in love with him already. It wouldn't take much more to win the bet. Maybe they'd hit the movies or something.

-

That night Danny decided to cook something partly to repay Ryan's kindness, and partly to prove to his friends that he did know how to cook, thank you very much. With Ryan's OCD, it was easy for Danny to navigate the kitchen.

Don had tried to dissuade his friend to no avail and went quietly into the living room to find a game to watch on the television.

Fortunately, or unfortunately as they case may be, Ryan wasn't home to stop him and insist that Ryan cook for his guests if they weren't going to go out to eat. Since Ryan was at work, Danny felt the need to surprise the Floridian with some home cooked Italian.

Ryan enjoyed eating the meal Danny had made, even though he was stunned that his house was still standing. Danny's smugly happy grin took him back to the moments when Danny had pulled a prank or was about to let you in on a juicy secret. It would have been more amusing to see if Ryan weren't in a terrible mood.

Calleigh had jumped on him this morning about how little he had managed to get done before the night shift had kicked him out. She had lectured him for quite a while on the importance of processing all evidence while on the importance of processing all evidence as quickly as possible. As he had done so many times before, he held his tongue, biting it at times to prevent the several acidic comments rolling about his head from exiting his mouth unbidden. He had learned that lesson. If he tried to defend himself, Calleigh would steamroller him. It was easier to let her get it out of her system and bare the lecture than contradict her. She didn't really mean it anyway, or at least he hoped she didn't. She had probably just had a bad night or something.

After dinner the three men spent the evening lazily watching House diagnose some random person with some bizarre disease that none of them had ever heard about, let alone encountered. Danny pointed out the similarities between the criminalist's job and House's diagnostics, while Ryan and Don argued that what they did was more difficult by far and much more interesting to boot. Danny reluctantly conceded after they admitted that he had a point, to the fact that they're job was much more fun than anything he'd ever seen on House. The conversation moved to Ryan's new case, and the younger brunette admitted that the whole thing had him stumped. He had a hunch that a jealous horse owner was involved, or perhaps a jealous jockey, but he wasn't going to take it to the bank before he had backed it up with the mountain of evidence waiting for him back at the lab. Danny and Don shared some of the more strange cases they'd had, including one involving a horse that had managed to survive just such a bullet wound. Danny laughingly explained that it was the first time he had ever seen Mac looked surprised when Stella came bursting into his office toting a massive sniper rifle and demanding he order the bullet extracted from the animal so they could solve the case.

Don and Danny shared a laugh at Ryan's wide eyes before laughingly explaining that it was time for him to turn in. Don agreed and Ryan headed up to his own room to vacate the couch for the dark haired New Yorker. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Ryan's brow furrowed in confusion. Who on earth would be texting him at eleven o'clock at night? A glance down at the abbreviated text message showed him that it was Eric texting him. He flipped open his phone and tried to decipher the small letters in the dark hallway before he gave it up as a lost cause and moved to his bedroom. Flipping on the bedside lamp he found that Eric was asking him to go to lunch with him tomorrow. Ryan said yes, even though he was sure that if he didn't he would have skipped the meal in order to finish the massive amount of backlog that Calleigh had been laying into him about earlier today. He flipped his phone shut and turned off the light. He did his nightly ritual before slipping into the bed and trying to go to sleep.

An hour later he gave it up as a lost cause. He grabbed the Forensic Journal that was on his bedside table and began rereading the article on how to detect a fake finger print when it had been made with a latex copy. It was fascinating enough to keep the drowsiness from overwhelming him for a few more hours. When he finally turned the light out at three o'clock in the morning he was confident that he had the method memorized. He fell asleep with Eric's warm smile behind his eyelids.


End file.
